Press Releases

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Auction off Miss Turkey’s Bikini for Military Charities

May 9, 2011

100% of funds raised will benefit Homes for Our Troops and USA Cares

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – May 9, 2011 – One lucky bidder will walk away with a little two-piece of history, as Carl’s Jr.® and Hardee’s® host a charity auction for a bikini custom-made for Miss Turkey to wear in the fast-food chains’ recent commercial.

Beginning today through Sunday, May 15, the coveted “turkini,” emblazoned with nearly 500 tiny images of the fast-food brands’ Charbroiled Turkey Burgers, is up for bid on eBay at http://r.ebay.com/am2MrP.

One of only three produced, the bikini is signed by Miss Turkey Gizem Memic. The back-up, never-been-worn bikini is being auctioned off to benefit Stars for Troops, the new charity program at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s assisting military families and veterans.

“We recently announced the start of our Stars for Troops fund-raising efforts in all Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants while, at the same time, the popularity of the ‘Miss Turkey’ ad for our new line of Charbroiled Turkey Burgers was generating numerous requests for the bikini prominently worn in the ad,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for CKE, the parent company for both Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “So, we were in the nice position of being able to both satisfy the requests of our many fans and to raise even more money for our brave military men and women by auctioning off this rare memento of burger advertising history on eBay, with all proceeds going to our Stars for Troops charity program.”

The custom-made bikini is valued at $1,000 but is expected to sell for much more than that. The auction is currently live on eBay, auction #320696784064, and bidding will close May 15.

The commercial featuring the famed bikini can be viewed on the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s YouTube channels. The ad first aired in March 2011 as the chains introduced the new line of Charbroiled Turkey Burgers. The tasty burgers, which are less than 500 calories each, were created in collaboration with the editors of Men’s Health and the bestselling Eat This, Not That!®.

The Stars for Troops program, announced May 2, includes an in-store campaign for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s going on now. Restaurant guests can donate $1 to support military families and veterans, with 100 percent of the funds raised going to Homes for Our Troops, USA Cares and regional military charities. With each $1 donation, guests receive a commemorative “Stars for Troops” cut-out to personalize and place on display in the restaurant and receive restaurant coupons valued at more than $10 to use toward future purchases.

CKE Restaurants, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. As of the end of fiscal 2011, CKE, through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,159 franchised, licensed or company-operated restaurants in 42 states and 20 countries, including 1,249 Carl’s Jr. Restaurants and 1,899 Hardee’s restaurants. For more information about CKE and its brands, please visit www.ckr.com, www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.